In the course of the third and fourth chapters... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

We who have believed do enter that rest.
Hebrews 4:3

In the course of the third and fourth chapters of the epistle to the Hebrews we find faith and rest together several times. This suggests that faith is an essential pre-condition for rest. Using the people of Israel as an example the author of the epistle makes this clear.

God had promised them the land of Canaan. But they had spurned that land. In their unbelief they said: "Why has the LORD brought us into this land to fall by the sword ? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" (Numbers 14, 3). As a result that generation could not enter the promised land. The epistle to the Hebrews explains this with the words: "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief" (ch. 3, v. 19).

It is exactly the same with the eternal rest of the believers. Saving faith in the Lord Jesus and His work of redemption at Calvary is the condition for eternal rest in heaven.

Even in our daily life faith and trust in God are pre-requisites for inner peace, as other scriptures indicate. In Philippians 4, vv. 6 & 7, we are encouraged to let all our requests be made known to God and leave the solution of our problems to Him. The wonderful consequence will then be that "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding", will guard our hearts and minds. That gives us inner peace and composure in the awareness that everything will work out for our good.